East Texas prep star VanDeKop signs to play basketball at OC
Jordan VanDeKop has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Oklahoma Christian. Pictured during his signing ceremony are (front row, from left) brother Peyton VanDeKop, mother Christine VanDeKop, Jordan VanDeKop, father Paul VanDeKop and (back row, from left) Lindale (Texas) High School basketball coach Scott Albritton, OC coach Dan Hays, Lindale assistant coach Ike Anders and Lindale assistant coach Daniel Devisscher. Photo courtesy of Tyler Morning Telegraph.
LINDALE, Texas (March 28, 2012) – Arguably the top high school basketball player in East Texas has decided to play collegiately at Oklahoma Christian.
Jordan VanDeKop, a 6-foot-7 forward-center, signed his letter of intent earlier this month at Lindale High School, during a ceremony attended by OC coach Dan Hays.
VanDeKop, who was named as the All-East Texas Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Tyler Morning Telegraph following his junior season, averaged 28.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game as a senior, leading Lindale to a 27-9 record. Lindale made consecutive trips to a Texas Class 3A region tournament with VanDeKop in the lineup.
“We are very excited that Jordan has chosen to join Eagle basketball,” Hays said. “He is an outstanding prospect who we feel will be a great addition to our program. He is a tremendous scorer that should fit in well with the things that we do.”
VanDeKop will join an OC squad that closed this past season strong, finishing 20-13 after winning the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament and giving eventual NAIA Division I champion Concordia (Calif.) arguably its toughest game at the national tournament in Kansas City, Mo. All but one scholarship player will return for the Eagles next season.
“They have a strong biology department, a strong basketball program (and) they just won their conference tournament,” VanDeKop told the Tyler newspaper. “It’s just a really personable team. It’s just a gut feeling that says this is where I need to be and this is where I want to be.”
